Dansby: Dolphins have more talent than ’08 Arizona Cardinals

When the Arizona Cardinals made their improbable run to an NFC Championship and their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl during the 2008 season, middle linebacker Karlos Dansby was a key cog in their defense.

Dansby led the Cardinals in tackles that season, and always showed a nose for the football. The former Auburn Tiger had four sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and three recovered fumbles.

After the 2009 campaign, during which the Cardinals won their second straight NFC West title, Dansby bolted via free agency, signing a huge contract with the Miami Dolphins. Since he got there, the Dolphins have had three head coaches (including interim Todd Bowles) and have gone just 14-21.

Dansby and his Dolphins will be in town Sunday to take on the undefeated Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium, and the nine-year veteran had some interesting things to say about his current and former teams.

“I tell them every day, we’ve got what it takes — we’ve got more than what it takes. We’re more talented there than I was ever in Arizona, if you look at the stats, or you look at the players and the potential,” Dansby said during a media conference call Wednesday. “We’ve just got to put it together as a team. That’s what I told them, when we were there, we were a team, it didn’t matter, we were all in.”

Miami’s defense has been decent in their first three games. The Dolphins rank third in the league against the run, allowing just 64.7 yards per game. But they’ve been bad against the pass, allowing 309 yards per contest — a mark which has them ranked 29th in the league.

Dansby also shared his thoughts on a few current Cardinals, including the man who wears the same jersey number as he did with Arizona, linebacker Daryl Washington.

“He’s a dynamic player,” Dansby said. “He’s a young guy, very athletic, very fast. He reminds me of myself.”

This will be Dansby’s first game ever against the team that made him a second round draft pick back in 2004, and he says he’s looking forward to the challenge. Dansby even says that he’s engaged in some friendly trash talk with some of his former Cardinal mates.

“I’ve been going back and forth about this game ever since the schedule got put out,” he said. “Me, Fitz, Darnell, we’ve all seen each other out and about and we’ve been talking about this game.

“We knew it was on the horizon, and now it’s coming to pass. I’m coming back out, and they’re going to see how much I’ve advanced.”